On July 18, the House Interior Appropriations Committee approved language that would lead to the mass slaughter of America's wild horses and burros. They rejected the 80% of Americans who don't want this tragedy. They tried to fool the public by calling it "euthanasia." But make no mistake, killing thousands of healthy horses is not a mercy killing; it's slaughter.

This fight is far from over, and we can still stop this. But we don't yet know what form the legislation containing this deadly provision will take in the U.S. Senate or a possible "conference" committee. What we do know is that some form of spending bill will be passed before October 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

So our movement has a choice, and we want to get your input.

Give them hell now. Take action, mobilize at the district level, and make Congress see that Americans are firmly against the slaughter of America's wild horses.

Wait. Delay until we have a clearer sense of the legislative timeline, and then hope we have enough time to mobilize before it's too late.

I want to:

My vote? I think we should keep the pressure on NOW. But I also want to be honest: there will be many critical votes in the next couple months and the legislative fight is far from clear. We should be prepared for an intense battle in September, when Congress returns from summer vacation, and possibly the months beyond.

It's a fight we have to win. If this terrible measure passes, the Bureau of Land Management will be tasked with "destroying" healthy horses in holding facilities and, potentially, on the range. They'll be rejecting the proven, sound science documenting that birth control can humanely control the wild horse population, and, instead, choosing a path of mass slaughter. This summer may very well decide if we protect or eliminate this icon of freedom from our western public lands.

If we choose to act now, we'll be mobilizing throughout August while members of Congress are home for recess. This means attending town halls, making phone calls, running ads, and getting the word out. When they're home for recess, we get loud!

But we don't want to act if our community isn't ready. So please let us know.

Thank you,

Suzanne Roy

The American Wild Horse Campaign is dedicated to preserving American wild horses and burros in viable free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.

The American Wild Horse Campaign is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our work.

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